


Afterlife's Paradise

by royalbluebetta



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royalbluebetta/pseuds/royalbluebetta
Summary: Seo Changbin's job consisted of going from hospitals to houses, taking old wrinkly people with him despite how hard people begged and cried. But when he was summoned to a hospital in Seoul, he did not expect a 21-year old squirrel-like boy in a hospital bed.(NOTE: This is an old fic that is being rewritten!)
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 6
Kudos: 114





	1. Say Farewell

Seo Changbin's job consisted of going from hospitals to houses, taking old wrinkly people with him despite how hard people begged and cried. But when he was summoned to a hospital in Seoul, he did not expect a 21-year old squirrel-like boy in a hospital bed. However, the weeping 23-year old man who sat next to the sick boy was a familiar sight.

 _He's too young,_ Changbin thought. _But I don't really have a choice, do I?_

As he prepared to take the sick boy, the man spoke. “Please Sungie,” he pleaded as he clutched the boy’s hand. “D-don't leave me yet...”

The desperation in his words struck Changbin's allegedly cold heart. He felt pity for the man and let him speak.

_C'mon Felix, let the sick one be at least a little conscious._

If he was in charge of taking people and bringing others grief, Lee Felix did the absolute opposite; he brought happiness to people. Changbin once joked that maybe they could switch jobs for a day, but Felix had glared at him so intensely that Changbin swore the skies went dark.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the boy started speaking again.

“I... I'll miss you, but I know you know that. We still had plans, remember? We were going to have a house on our hill- the one we used to go to almost everyday! Then we would adopt three cats and be cat gays despite Chan's protests.” The man chuckled bitterly. “You were going to ask Hyunjin for help in decorating the interior of the house because Jeongin said we couldn't do it. You also wanted Seungmin's help with a garden, but I said the cats might ruin it.” 

He allowed himself a small smile. “And... This?” he said as his thumb gently brushed against the promise ring on the sick boy's finger, “Y-you wanted it to become a wedding ring, right?” He smiled as more tears fell. “How is it gonna become a wedding ring if you're going to leave me, Jisung?”

The boy, Jisung, let out a cough as he partially opened his eyes. He turned his head towards the weeping man and a tear rolled down his cheek. “Min... Minho?” He breathed out. Minho looked up to meet Jisung's eyes, full of hope that maybe, just maybe, Jisung would be able to survive.

“I love you.” Jisung whispered, and gave Minho the heart shaped smile he had always loved and adored. Minho, despite the steady flow of tears, smiled back. “I love you too, Sungie.”

Another tear rolled down Jisung's cheek as he gently squeezed the hand still clutching onto his own. He let out a bitter laugh, and said,

“I'm sorry.” 

He closed his eyes.

“Sungie...?” 

A deadly silence answered back. 

“Sung?” Minho gently nudged Jisung's side. “J-Jisung...?”

Changbin could feel all hope leave the boy as he desperately held on to Jisung's hand, begging for a miracle. _It's time,_ Changbin thought. He approached the hospital bed and carried Jisung in his arms. He took one last look at Minho, who was staring intently at the monitor next to the bed, still holding on to Jisung's hand.

_Minho..._

_I am so sorry._

The moment Changbin left, a devastated cry was heard in the room as the monitor flatlined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi to possible new readers and maybe even my old readers as well! I didn't fix up too much in this chapter; expect the noticeable changes in the next ones :]
> 
> Comments, kudos, and criticism are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> p.s you can drop by my twt: @jejilsix
> 
> [published: 12/27/19 ; edited: 02/15/21]


	2. Oh Honey, Oh Dear

“I feel bad.”

Felix stared at Changbin with an amused look on his face as the previously spoken words echoed throughout the endlessly tall library. The structure was made out of crystalline marble, quartz, and gold, and it housed the stories and backgrounds of many souls on Earth, dead or alive. Changbin likes to spend his spare time reading the books with Felix; that’s exactly what they’re doing right now, actually, before Changbin spoke up.

“That’s my line.” Felix pouted. Changbin shook his head, as if he didn’t hear the younger. “It’s been so long yet I feel so bad right now.” The aforementioned younger jokingly rolled his eyes. “It's not a personality trait to ignore your boyfriend, babe. What happened?”

Changbin sighed. “A few months ago, I was summoned to a Korean hospital— Seoul, I think— and I expected another old, wrinkly person. How was I supposed to know that I was supposed to take a 21-year old boy, yet to live a life with whom I assume is his boyfriend?”

Felix's sunny smile turned into a frown. “Oh. That's... That's actually awful. How is his boyfriend holding up?”

The older raised an eyebrow at Felix. “How should I know? Isn't that your job?”

“Right, sure. I'll go check. I'll also check on his friends. That is, if he had any.” 

Changbin's eyes widened. “Oi! It's ill to speak of the dead. Don't you know that?” 

Felix smirked. “That's a rule for humans. Doesn't apply to us, does it?” Changbin sent a warning look at him, and he raised his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I'll go check.”

Changbin watched as Felix stood up from his chair and gracefully skimmed through one ginormous bookshelf to another. He had no idea how he managed to befriend the boy in the first place, much less have a chance with him romantically— they were complete opposites after all. Felix, bearer of happiness, and Changbin, bringer of grief. But, as humans believe, miracles do happen, and who's to say that it doesn't apply to them too?

“I found it!” Felix called out, carrying a large red book entitled H.J in his arms as he quite literally flew back to Changbin. Felix sat back down in his previous position and opened the book. “Here he is! Han Jisung, 21 years old. Born on September 14— Right before mine!”

Changbin rolled his eyes. “Felix, you don't have a birthday.” The latter grinned. “I know, but after I discovered that most humans enjoyed birthdays, I wanted to think that I have one too! And since I made my discovery on a September 15, I made that date my birthday!”

Changbin chuckled. It _does_ seem like a very Felix thing to do. “Okay, okay. Can we continue reading now?”

In a span of two human hours, they discovered that Jisung lived in an apartment with three roommates named Hwang Hyunjin, Kim Seungmin, and Yang Jeongin (“They call themselves 00 liners! I wish I was a part of something like that” Felix had sighed wistfully). He made music with his apartment neighbor and friend Bang Chan (“2BASCO? Who would name themselves after some hot sauce?” Changbin had asked) and was very close friends with Chan's roommate, a dance instructor named Lee Minho. This Minho, Changbin noticed, also happened to be Jisung's boyfriend.

In those two human hours, Felix decided that he wanted to know more about Jisung's friends, so their once spotless table now had six enormous books scattered on it. Felix was very invested with the various stories the books held, but at this point Changbin wasn't really paying attention anymore.

“I didn't know that the books also stated when people die.” Felix spoke, catching Changbin’s attention. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Come again?”

“The books state when a certain person will die.” Felix repeated as he showed him a page. _L.M. Birth: October 25, 1998. Death: September // 2023._

Changbin huffed exasperatedly. “This could have made my job easier Lix. Why did you only discover this now?” He whined.

Felix pouted. “To be fair, it doesn't show the exact date. Besides, this was the only time we— or you, rather— got genuinely interested in a human's life.”

“Since when did _you_ care about a human's personal life? Don't tell me you're stalking humans again!”

“Changbin! You know I promised that I wouldn't do it again!”

The bickering lasted on for longer, but it eventually died down. Felix was reading out various things from the books that he found interesting, however Changbin's attention was elsewhere.

More specifically, the page Felix had shown him.

“Lee Minho,” he muttered. “So you're going to die in two years' time. Unfortunate that you had to follow the love of your life.”

_Wait. September?_

“Say, Felix,” Changbin called out. “When is Jisung's birthday again?”

Felix, confused, checked Jisung's book again. After some page flipping, he replied, “September 14. Why?”

Changbin chose his words carefully. “Do you think his friends would visit him on his birthday?”

“You mean visit his grave? Probably,” the freckled boy shrugged. "Why’d you ask?"

_Is that allowed? Is he allowed to do that?_

Changbin thought about it carefully before answering.

_Fuck it._

“I might do someone a favor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Comments, criticism, suggestions, and kudos are very much appreciated!
> 
> twt: @jejilsix
> 
> [published: 12/28/19 ; edited: 02/15/21]


	3. Purple Hyacinths Ever Since

**September 14, 2023**

“Oi, slowpokes! Hurry up, these are gonna burn!”

“Hyunjin! Wake up, sleepyhead!”

“Oh my god, Jeongin, why are there eggs on the wall?”

“ _Seungmin!_ Don't pinch me!”

Minho groaned as he got out of bed. Why the _fuck_ was it so noisy at 9:00 in the morning?

“Why the fuck are you guys so noisy at 9:00 in the morning?” he asked groggily as he walked into the kitchen. Chan and Jeongin, who were standing in front of the stove, turned around upon hearing his voice.

“Good morning to you too, Minho” Chan replied, rolling his eyes. “Go help Seungmin wake Hyunjin up while I help Jeongin fix this mess.”

The maknae pouted. “It's not that messy!”

Minho stared at Jeongin pointedly before diverting his attention to the wall directly in front of the stove. It was _definitely_ a mess. The maknae, who was holding the frying pan, somehow managed to get the salt, pepper— _is that **milk**?_ —and oil on the wall. There were splotches of eggs everywhere, both cooked _and_ raw. 

“Yes. Yes it is.” a nasally voice spoke as two more people entered the kitchen. “All I asked was for you to watch over the eggs while I woke Hyunjin up. How did it all end up on the wall?”

“Seung, we all know we can’t leave Jeongin in the kitchen for five seconds. It's kind of your fault why this happened.” Hyunjin mumbled, his hand caressing his left ear.

Seungmin turned to the raven haired boy, eyebrow raised. “Pretty sassy for someone who gave me a hard time waking you up.”

“Pretty snappy for someone who pinched my ear.” Hyunjin scowled. 

Minho sighed. Seungmin and Hyunjin usually got along just fine, but as far as their morning dynamic goes. . . let's just say this wasn't going to end well.

“Let's just drop the topic and clean this mess, alright? No use arguing early in the morning.” Minho commanded.

The edge in the older’s voice was enough for the younger members to know that enough was enough. A chorus of ‘yes hyung’s answered back, and Chan let out a relieved sigh. He gave Minho a grateful smile and a hug. “Thanks for finally being a responsible hyung, Minho.” he joked, laughing. Minho glared daggers at him before giving in and laughing along.

\- - - - - - - - -

Minho trudged alone on a grassy dirt path, a bouquet of pink camellias and purple hyacinths in his hand. He had asked the others if he could go ahead on his own, and they agreed.

The place was deserted, save for some crows somewhere in the few trees scattered along the vicinity. Minho walked towards his desired destination, the crow of the crows and his footsteps being the only sounds he heard.

He stopped in front of a slab of stone. It was abundant with different kinds of flowers, although wilted. Minho brushed them off and replaced them with the bouquet. He sat in front of the stone with a sad smile on his face.

“Hey Sungie.” Minho spoke. “You're probably tired of hearing me say this, but. . . I miss you. I miss your heart-shaped smile, your beautiful voice, your cute squishy cheeks—” he chuckled, before continuing, “Everything about you. I miss you so much.”

He paused thoughtfully. “Remember our hill? There's a house there now, too bad someone beat you to it. What was the owner’s name. . . Ah! Lee Minho!” 

Minho can imagine Jisung pouting at him, puppy-dog eyes full of complaints about how he wanted that spot for a house first, but it'll light up because it would take the younger boy a second to realize what the older meant.

He let himself smile at the thought. “Yep, our house is there now! We all— yes, I mean all of us— moved out of our apartments and lived there instead. You should've seen the mess Jeongin made this morning. Oh, and we have three cats! They're all angels. I named them Soonie, Doongie, and Dori! I think you'll love them, especially Dori; she's the cutest!” Minho laughed, picturing Jisung enthusiastically playing with Dori on the couch, grinning from ear to ear.

His laughter died down, and silence filled the place once again. Minho found himself staring at the tombstone, happiness slowly seeping out of his face until it was void of emotion.

At first, it was just a droplet that fell.

Then, it was three.

It wasn't too long until a steady flow of tears were falling from Minho's eyes. He was just so _tired_. Tired of hoping that everything was just a bad dream. Tired of hearing people tell him to ‘get over it’. And he was absolutely _tired_ of the pitiful look people give him when they found out what happened.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the dark figure staring at him from afar.

\- - - - - - - - -

Not that he'd see anyway.

To be honest, Changbin had been watching Minho ever since he stepped in the cemetery. He saw the tiredness in Minho's eyes and the way he had this faint glimmer of joy whenever he thought of Jisung.

He also felt the crushing feeling of despair that washed over Minho whenever it hit him that the boy really is gone.

Changbin wasn't entirely sure on what he was about to do, but he decided that maybe, _maybe_ , the bringer of despair might be able to give happiness for once.

"For afterlife's sake, may the gods fucking spare me from whatever consequences this brings." Changbin muttered.

He approached Minho, who was still crying, and sat beside him. Minho couldn't see him, but the boy felt the presence of an icy breeze. Changbin put his arm around the boy, and Minho felt the cold drape around his shoulders. It was freezing, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, he found the sensation cozy.

As if he was meant to feel the icy breeze.

Changbin could feel Minho growing heavier. _He's almost there_ , he thought. He attempted to gently caress Minho's back whilst trying not to let him fall.

Over the past two years, Minho has never felt this kind of serenity. He has never experienced so much peace, so much placidity.

He has never felt such a strong urge to _stay_.

This was Changbin's cue. He stood up, carrying Minho in his arms the way he carried Jisung two years ago. He looked back at Jisung's grave the way he did to Minho back then and whispered,

"Wait for us, won't you?"

\- - - - - - - - -

As they trudged up the dirt path, Chan couldn’t help but feel like something was out of place. He blamed it on the eeriness of the cemetery and the unusual silence of the maknaes. 

Little did he know, that’s exactly how they felt too. The trio couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling slowly washing over them, but, like Chan, they blamed it on different things. 

Jeongin blamed it on Minho not being there to lighten the mood.

Seungmin blamed it on Hyunjin not being a complainant for once.

Hyunjin didn’t blame it on anything. He felt like he _knew_ something was wrong.

The four continued to trudge their way across the vast graveyard. The crow of the crows, their footsteps, and the occasional muttering were the only sounds they heard.

They almost made it to Jisung's grave before Chan halted to a stop.

“Chan hyung?” Seungmin asked. “Is there something wrong?”

 _I was right. Something is definitely wrong,_ Hyunjin thought. Chan had turned pale, much paler than he already is. Neither Seungmin nor Hyunjin could understand what was happening, until—

“MINHO HYUNG!”

The two of them turned to the direction of Jeongin's voice. He was crouched down near a body that lay besides Jisung's grave. In a sudden rush of adrenaline, they ran towards Jeongin, who was cradling Minho's body.

“M-Minho hyung? Is... i-is he…?” Hyunjin trailed off, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Jeongin shook his head furiously. “N-no. No. I refuse to believe it. He wasn't sick or anything! He didn't— n-no. He won't do that, r-right?” He cried, the question plaguing his mind left unsaid.

They sat in a deathly long silence until Chan finally spoke. “No. He didn't.” He said, walking towards the group. The trio turned to look at him, remaining silent as he crouched down to caress Minho's cheek. He wore a fond look painted with silent sobs as he stared at Minho, choking on a laugh full of disbelief. 

They all saw what Chan could see. It was the peace in Minho's face, something that they’ve never seen since Jisung's death. Right now, as he lay dead in Chan and Jeongin's arms, they could see the comfort in his gentle, lifeless smile.

The cemetery was deserted, save for a group of friends and some crows somewhere in the few trees scattered along the vicinity. The crow of the crows, the rustling of the wind, and agonizing cries of despair were the only sounds to be heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even after a year, this chapter was the most fun to write (and rewrite) :D
> 
> To anyone somehow finding this, I hope you liked it! Comments, criticism, and kudos would be greatly appreciated!!
> 
> twitter: @jejilsix
> 
> [published: 12/29/19 ; edited: 02/18/21]


End file.
